Why Biab?

[Brewpastor]

Why BIAB? Does it have advantages over batch or fly sparging? Is it an equipment thing? Is the end result superior or the process significantly shorter?

I vary between batch and fly sparge and have those methods pretty well locked in. But I joined this forum to expand my horizons, so school me!

 

[matho]

its all aout using one vessel to brew in so its about cost

if you read here it explains it

cheer's matho

 

[Adamt]

The pdf file attached to the BIAB article here gives some good info on it.

The main advantage is a cheap outlay. Vessels can get pretty expensive, so having to buy only one for BIAB (rather than 2 or 3 for "traditional") and a bag is attractive from a new brewer's perspective. The end result is not necessarily superior, nor is it necessarily inferior. Some find they can get great efficiency with it (greater than they would for a dedicated MT).

 

[SpillsMostOfIt]

I started brewing AG using BIAB because of its availability. I was able to afford a cheap pot, manufacture a baggie and make a beer from grain.

Now, after sixty-something brews using BIAB, I can say with some certainty that the main reason I brew this way is because I like it. You can (and people do) carry on with all sorts of science, tradition and what-have-you why one method is better than the other(s). I don't care. I like brewing the way I do.

I find that the quality of the beers I make is trending upwards as I increase my experience of Making Beer and understanding the craft. That would likely happen with any method. I've brewed other ways and been around when other people have brewed other ways and they have managed to (usually) enjoy the way they brew. Good on them.

For some people, it is a way of brewing from grain before they get all the required bits and pieces to complete their self-aware, computerised HERMS monster. Good on them too, I say.

As a committed Bag Brewer, I ask why brew any other way. Different people will come up with different answers, but it seems to me at the moment those answers will primarily revolve around process (or religion, but that's okay) rather than outcome.

I don't care. I like brewing the way I do.

Let the flame-fest begin!

 

[WarmBeer]

Why BIAB? Does it have advantages over batch or fly sparging? Is it an equipment thing? Is the end result superior or the process significantly shorter?

I vary between batch and fly sparge and have those methods pretty well locked in. But I joined this forum to expand my horizons, so school me!

Ummm, you do realise BIAB stands for Brew In A Bag, not Boy In A Bathtub?

 

[Supra-Jim]

'Swimning in the brew kettle..... that's a (mash) paddling"

Cheers SJ

 

[Nick JD]

Tomatoe, tomātoe. Potato, potāto...

It's just a way to lift out the grain.

 

[hughman666]

it doesnt really matter to the beer either way, the only difference is that people who BIAB seem incessantly possessed to aggressively defend their technique against, errr......nobody h34r:

 

[crundle]

I got into AG by BIAB because it cost less, had less equipment, and took up less room, all big factors for me with 3 kids at home and nowhere for a permanent dedicated brew setup.

It makes beer, who really knows if it is better/worse than 3 vessel setups?

My brew day is also fairly short, but I am limited to single batches with my setup, which may be a factor for some people who need to make larger volumes.

I have made quite a few brews now, of many styles, and haven't found anything I can't brew using BIAB, but the same goes for anyone using 3 vessel setups also, so to each their own!

cheers,

Crundle

 

[Bribie G]

Quite apart from the compact nature of the equipment (I use a 40L electric urn) the thing I love about BIAB is the simplicity. I've sat in on a couple of 3V brewdays and the poor old brewers have been busier than a one armed painter with the crabs - old Australian Saying
Apart from a couple of dramatic minutes hoisting the bag, the method I use - passive lagging and a rolling boil preset on the urn dial - means that I only need to look in on the brewhouse a couple of times to dough in, do hop additions and check on progress of the boil. Sometimes I find myself thinking "this is too bloody easy, what have I forgotten to do ?"

Add the whirlfloc . AARRRGGGGHHH :lol: :wacko:


Edit: I'm talking about HERMs brewdays above ... I'm not criticizing them at all, they were attending to their equipment like old time Locomotive guys lovingly tending old Betsy - tweaking this and that, anxiously turning on this pump and that valve... and I can see the attraction of that, if that's what fascinates you then that's a great way to spend an afternoon.

 

[floppinab]

I am not a BIABer but I suspect that a historical context has been lost a little in the general discussion about BIAB. A couple of doco's I've seen all strongly suggest that in older and ancient times brews were made using a similar method, grain in a pot with some sort of straining/colander system, grain removed from pot with strainer, boil/ferment.
It was only as brewers wanted to increase volumes that obvious limitations in lifting larger masses of grain were clear and systems to remove the wort from the tun (as opposed to removing the grain from the wort) were developed.

So there you go, BIAB was in fact the original brewing method!!!!!

 

[MitchDudarko]

'Swimning in the brew kettle..... that's a (mash) paddling"

Cheers SJ

That is effing GOLD! I'm a mad Simpsons fan.

 

[peas_and_corn]

BIABers enjoy sewing

 

[losp]

I am new to the AG game myself, and it took me ages and a lot of money to collect all the gear. I now wish that I had chosen to go BIAB, as I am still learning the game, and the return on investment is 5 times sooner with BIAB. Not only that but its a good starting point, because the pot that you buy can be used in future setups anyway.

 

[MarkBastard]

For me the main thing is to save space. I have a single garage and no other place to brew.

I do like the idea of a 3V system more. Just slightly more. Mainly because you can sparge more easily and don't have to squeeze or drain the bag. I can almost see how 3V would be a way to overcome the annoyances of BIAB if BIAB was around first.

But there's no way I could fit a proper 3V setup in my garage and I wouldn't be interested in spending the money on it or having a cheapo bucket of death setup either.

Later on in life with a double garage or a shed I'll be looking into a 3V setup with a proper stand and eveything.

 

[Phoney]

You've got a garage? :blink: Ive only got a laundry to store my brewing gear and a small courtyard to brew in.

That's why I chose to go the BIAB way, the cost was an added bonus as well.

 

[SpillsMostOfIt]

You've got a garage? :blink: Ive only got a laundry to store my brewing gear and a small courtyard to brew in.

That's why I chose to go the BIAB way, the cost was an added bonus as well.

That was how I started - small courtyard and some found space. Now I have a dedicated brewing space (which we call The Brewery), I still happily brew with one vessel. Admittedly, I am building a gantry to accommodate my pending frailty...

 

[AndrewQLD]

I've sat in on a couple of 3V brewdays and the poor old brewers have been busier than a one armed painter with the crabs - old Australian Saying


Edit: I'm talking about HERMs brewdays above ... I'm not criticizing them at all, they were attending to their equipment like old time Locomotive guys lovingly tending old Betsy - tweaking this and that, anxiously turning on this pump and that valve... and I can see the attraction of that, if that's what fascinates you then that's a great way to spend an afternoon.

Never saw a brew day like that here in Bundy, generally my herms is set and forget.
In fact at Gregs christening of his new HERMS system he commented on how little there was to do and how little monitoring there was.
Now some of the BIAB days I have seen up here are quite comical to say the least with spills happening, temps not met or over shot, small pots on the stove for heating sparge water ect and general running around in a flap, and then some days they go like a dream with no problems whatsoever.

I guess what it boils down to is how well setup you are, how well you know your system and how organised you are on the day.

BIAB is a great way to brew, it's simple, cheap and gives great results and in my mind it's a perfect entry point to all grain brewing because if you decide you can't be arsed all graining you really haven't wasted much in set up costs.

Cheers
Andrew

 

[manticle]

We should have a thread on why porter is better/worse than pale ale next.

Two different methods - similar, possibly identical results.

One has the appeal of certain traditions etc, one has the appeal of low cost and ease of use.

I think the OP's question was answered with the first link.

 

[Thirsty Boy]

I talk too much about BIAB, so I'll keep this relatively short.

BIAB was designed pretty much from the ground up to be attractive to new AG brewers. Effort was made to design a way of AG brewing that addressed some of the key factors that stopped people from switching from K&K or extract to AG.

Cost
Complexity
Space
Time

BIAB uses less of all of them, and probably most importantly, the process makes intuitive sense to a new brewer. To paraphrase the reactions I have seen when people see the process - there is far more of "Oh... I see" than "huh... how does that work again"

Now I mostly brew on a 3V RIMS system - and I love it and wouldn't change - it is slowly approaching the set and forget stage, but I still do a bit of running around looking after Betsy even after 3 years of tweaking the damn thing. But I've also done just short of 20 BIAB brews everywhere from 8L to 45L in size - & if my brewery were to burn to the ground tomorrow and I had to start from scratch...... it would be far from a foregone conlusion that i would build a 3V system again.

TB